Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Sittin' at the end of the bar...


Back in 1965, medical staff and coaches at the University of Florida got together to figure out why football players were wilting in the Florida heat. Identifying the reason as a loss of fluids and electrolytes, and depletion of carbohydrates, the group put together a formula to replace those fluids and nutrients lost from exercise....Gatorade was born.

Well, now Sportsnet.ca reports a new breakthrough in re-hydration science and its relation to physical performance...

Pedialyte. Yes, Pedialyte.

Toronto Maple Leafs bruiser Wade Belak reports that the formula for rehydrating toddlers suffering with diarrhea is a fine remedy for high-end athletes, too:

"You get all your electrolytes and it's designed specifically for kids and babies so you know it's good."

But Mr. Belak lets the cat out of the bag that this is hardly a new-found remedy for dehydration....

"You really want to know the truth, why I started drinking Pedialyte? I used to drink it for hangovers."

Now there, dear reader, is a hockey player.

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Doug Gilmour has this coaching thing down...Describing the difference between life as a player and that of a coach (well, a "civilian"), the newly minted part time coach for the Leafs' organization observed that:

"When you're playing, you get up in the morning, get dressed, go to the rink, get undressed, get dressed into your equipment, get undressed after practice, then get dressed to go home. Then you get undressed to take an afternoon nap, wake up, get dressed to go back to the rink for the game, get undressed and get dressed in your equipment. After the game, you get undressed, get dressed to go home and then get undressed later to go to bed.

"When you're not playing, you get dressed in the morning and then get undressed at night to go to bed. That's it."

Coaches, consider your secret revealed.

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Oh, and here is your Day 97 of a Sport Held Hostage moment, courtesy of The Battle of California.